PLANT CELL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.)] is a pivotal oilseed crop, extensively cultivated worldwide for edible oil and livestock feed. Worldwide, it is the third most ranked oilseed in terms of consumption after palm oil and soybean. However, productivity remains below potential due to an array of biotic and abiotic stressors coupled with a narrow genetic base, highlighting the need for broadening genetic base and exploiting heterosis to develop superior cultivar (s). The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate heterosis for seed yield and its attributing traits among 20 diverse cross combinations of Indian mustard, made during Rabi, 2024 and assessed during Rabi, 2025 along with zonal (Maya) and national (Kranti) checks at Research Farm Zonal Agricultural Research Station, Morena, RVSKVV, Gwalior. Significant variability was observed for yield and component traits. Seed yield ranged between 1,078 kgha^-1 for cross Brijraj × Rukmini to 3,343 kgha^-1 for Radhika × NPJ-253. Remarkably, cross combinations such as Radhika × NPJ-253, Rukmini × NPJ-253, and Brijraj × NPJ-253 exhibited high positive heterosis for yield and deciding traits like numbers of siliquae, numbers of seeds per siliquae, seed weight, and earliness, indicating presence of strong hybrid vigour. Architectural traits such as increased branching and longer racemes in these crosses further reinforced their yield potential. These findings underscore the potential of targeted hybridization programme to overcome existing yield barriers. These promising cross combinations demonstrated the potential of heterosis breeding to be utilized in Indian mustard and needed to be conduct further multi-location trials to validate their stability and adaptability. Such efforts may play a crucial role to enhance Indian mustard productivity and advancing India’s goal of edible oil self-sufficiency.